Student Services & Special Education

If you suspect your child may have a developmental delay or disability, the City of St. Charles School District can open a window of hope for a brighter future. Services at no cost to the family are available to all eligible individuals from age three up to 21 years of age regardless of the severity of their disability. All referrals are considered confidential. All special education services are provided at no cost. If you feel your child is lagging behind in any developmental area, contact us and request a screening appointment. If the screener feels there are areas of concern after the screening, they will refer your child for further evaluation. All test results will be shared with you once they are complete.

The parent, legal guardian, or surrogate parent retains the right to refuse services and are provided other procedural safeguards under federal and state law. Special education services are available to eligible children and youth identified with a disability that may be experiencing difficulties at school.

If your child attends a private or parochial school and you suspect a disability, please contact Clarissa Beyer at 636-443-4037.

Homebound instruction is one of the services available to students in the St. Charles School District who, because of their medical/disabling condition prevents them from attending school safely. A certified teacher provides services to students in the home setting with parent supervision. A homebound application must be completed by the students attending physician showing diagnosis, reason for confinement, and approximate length homebound instruction will required. The recommendation must be for a minimum of four weeks and no longer than twelve weeks (without a new application for an extension). Homebound applications are available from the office of Student Services. Contact Julie Eaton at 443-4067 for more info.

The St. Charles School District in compliance with state regulations provides surrogate parents to students with disabilities who do not have a parent or legal guardian. Individuals are trained by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and act on behalf of students during school related meetings/conferences. 

School districts and Children's Division must ensure that a child in foster care enrolls or remains in his or her school of origin unless a determination is made that it is not in the child's best interest. (ESEA section 1111(g)(1)(E)(i). School of origin is defined as the school in which a child is enrolled at the time of placement in foster care. If a child's foster care placement changes, the school of origin would then be considered the school where the child is enrolled at the time of the placement change.

Certain factors should be considered when determining if it is in a child's best interest to remain in his or her school of origin; the Foster Car Liaisons between the two districts, the Children's Division case manager, foster parents, biological parents (if applicable), juvenile officer, etc. take into consideration all factors relating to a child's best interest.

These factors include the appropriateness of the current educational setting and proximity of placement. Though the specific factors may vary depending on the context, a variety of student-centered factors should be considered to make a holistic and well-informed determination. These may include:

• Preferences of the child
• Preferences of the child's parents(s) or education decision maker(s)
• The child's attachment to the school, including meaningful relationships with staff and peers
• Placement of the child's siblings
• Influence of the school climate on the child, including safety
• The availability and quality of the services in the school to meet the child's educational and socio-emotional needs
• History of school transfers and how they have impacted the child
• How the length of the commute would impact the child, based on the child's developmental stage
• Whether the child is a student with a disability under the IDEA who is receiving special education or related aids and services, and if so, the availability of those required services in a school other than the school of origin
• Whether the child is an EL and is receiving language services, and, if so, the availability of those required services in  a school other than the school of origin, consistent with Title VI and the EEOA
• Transportation costs should not be considered when determining a child's best interest.